OK guys, I apologize, one more bit of rules, this time about FATE POINTS. This is mostly all stuff I've mentioned before, but I wanted to be explicit and have it all in one place. Also, mentioning compels for the first time, which is a great feature, but also a box of worms, which is why I've waited so long to bring it up.
Fate Points
Fate Points are basically wildcards that your characters can use to truly excel in specific situations. You start with 3, and you will gain FATE points for reaching major points in the story, accomplishing major goals, accepting Compels (see the end of this post), and anything else that I find worth rewarding.
Invoking an Aspect
This is the numerical, mechanical way to use a Fate Point. Basically, when making a skill check, you can get a +2 boost to your roll, IF you can explain how it's relevant to your character's aspects or the situational aspects.
Example: You've got “Hatred of Midgets”. You are fighting a Midget. You use a FATE point to give yourself a +2 to Fight that midget, because he really pisses you off. ((Disclaimer: This is just an example, please do not hate on midgets and beat them up.))
Example: It's rainy. Situational aspect is “Low Visibility”. Normally this would be a problem for you, but you can also use it to your advantage by spending a FATE point and using it to enhance your sneak roll. That would represent going out of the way to use the rainy environment to your advantage while sneaking.
Declaring a story detail
Now, this is where things get interesting. Well, I'll just start by actually pulling out the relevant page.
Hmmm. Very interesting. Now, once again, it doesn't give you completely free reign. You should TRY to keep it reasonable, and relevant to either your character's aspects or the current Situational Aspects. But this is a powerful tool and has a lot of potential uses.
Paying for Stunts
Some stunts are powerful and require an active FATE point to be payed to use them. I think we've covered that pretty well.
GM Fiat
If you're asking for a favor, I may very well say “hey bro, spend a FATE point and you can do that”. Or I may not. Depends on the request. But again, FATE points are a wildcard and a bargaining chip. For example, asking me to throw certain vehicles or equipment your way, I'm totally willing to do so if you're willing to spend a FATE point for it!
Compels
Ok, there's one more important FATE concept that I haven't talked about yet, mostly because they're really tricky to adapt to the forum setting. But basically, something particularly bad happens to you and you get a FATE point out of it to use later.
For example, I might PM you “hey do you want to fall into this pit, even though you passed your notice check? I'll give you a FATE point”.
And you can say “hell yeah sweet FATE point!” or “hell no I don't know what's down there”. You might even say “wait a second... just how deep is the pit?”
So that part is something you don't have to concern yourself with. It's mostly on my end. HOWEVER, there's one other thing to be aware of:
You have the right to suggest a compel for your character. You can ask me “Hey can I fall into this trap even though I passed this check with flying colors?” and I will probably say “Sure” and give you a FATE point.
This is completely 100% optional, but it is a way to get FATE points, as well as enhance the drama of the story.
The main take-away here really is that FATE points (and Compels) can be used to change the story in unexpected ways. There's a lot of room for creativity here, so don't be afraid to ask.
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As far as I know, there's only one segment of rules I need to introduce, and that's Combat. Because there is a structure to combat, and I think it's best just to explain when we get there. It's not that hard though, and is mostly just a variation on the standard mechanics.